WTF Happened to Stephen Collins?

There was always one show that the whole family could rely on; it wasn’t the best show; we didn’t need to see every episode, but when my mom turned on the TV and 7th Heaven was playing, we all sat down and watched. It was refreshingly innocent, at least for the 90s. The cast was beautiful and oh-so pleasant, held together by the patriarch preacher, the perfect old-school “TV Dad” during a time when sitcoms had given up on portraying a father figure who wasn’t a buffoon. Stephen Collins had that trustworthy smile, eyes full of wisdom, and an energy that assured everyone he was one of the good guys. This is why, out of all the demons that have been exposed in Hollywood, the dad from 7th Heaven was the most shocking. Proving once again that some monsters hide behind kind faces. His fans and even his co-stars had no idea he could do such horrendous actions. But how did he get away with it for so long? And how did this alter the legacy of television’s most family-friendly family man? WTF happened to Stephen Collins?

But to truly understand what happened to Stephen Collins, we must begin at the beginning and the beginning began when he was born on his birthday: October 1, 1947. Born in Iowa but raised in New York, Collins began his career on the stage before making his big screen debut in the Academy Award-winning classic All The Presidents Men in 1976, soon after appearing in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, where he showed off his acting skills to even larger audiences. This performance showcased his talent to embody earnest characters with strong principles —a trait that would define much of his career. So after being in a Best Picture winner, a Star Trek movie, and a handful of noteworthy television, Stephen was now seen as an actor worthy of his own TV show, so they gave him one. Tales of the Gold Monkey was short-lived but gained a passionate cult following, and honestly, it sounds like a fun show. Collins plays a charming adventurer in the vein of Indian Jones. I honestly kinda want to watch this and wish it didn’t star a pedo.

Around this time, there was the first reported incident of Stephen Collins acting like a disgusting monster. He found himself living in the same apartment complex as a young girl who was a massive fan. She was only 10 at the time. He slowly groomed her with friendly chats and signed autographs. This eventually led to Stephen Collins finding himself alone with this child, where he exposed himself to her. And another event where he invited her over and walked around fully naked to get “more comfortable”. Of course, the child had no idea how to react and feared that nobody would believe her… because nobody believed her when she was molested by a “creepy uncle,” so why would anyone believe her about a handsome famous actor? Especially one who has a reputation for kindness? Stephen’s devilish perversions would remain secret for decades, so this actor just kept on acting, even finding himself in a Whoopi movie called Jumpin’ Jack Flash, the action flick Choke Canyon and earning an Emmy nomination for The Two Mrs. Grenvilles in 1987. He got to play JFK in A Woman Named Jackie.

Gold Monkey was cancelled after a year but the showbiz industry continued to give Collins many more shots at leading a series, such as Nick and Hilary (1988) and Working It Out (1990). Both failed to gain traction. Just when everybody thought Stephen Collins’ best days were behind him, he was blessed with the lead role on the massive WB hit 7th Heaven. Airing for 11 seasons from 1996 to 2007, it’s the longest running family drama in television history, sharing with us stories full of morals, values, lessons, and all around goodness. Collins perfectly played Reverend Eric Camden, known for his compassion and his love of God and family. He really gave off preacher vibes, which means so many things now… but yeah, can’t deny the dude was great. He was a master at depicting a wholesome image, which might fit into the definition of irony, I don’t know anymore. But like many perverts, he had to wave it in front of our faces and he did so by writing erotic novels. Strangely enough, he dedicated these tales of sexual compulsion to his wife. In a Lolita-ese fashion, he basically confessed to his own sex crimes but gender swapped everything. This perv even appeared on numerous talk shows to promote his literature while putting himself out there as some sort of sex psychologist expert. But for some reason, the 7th Heaven crowd didn’t notice or care.

Another creepy example of Collins embracing and bragging about his crimes was when he starred in the TV movie The Babysitter’s Seduction in 1996… the title alone says all you need to know. Beyond 7th Heaven, Collins maintained a steady presence in film and television. He played Diane Keaton’s unfaithful husband in The First Wives Club (1996) and appeared in Blood Diamond (2006) and Because I Said So (2007). Later roles included No Ordinary Family (2010-2011) and Revolution (2012-2014) and he pops up in that Three Stooges movie. There were even memorable appearances on hit shows like Law and Order and The Office. But in hindsight, one of his most bizarre roles was joining the cast of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia; playing another father figure who is disgusted by the gang’s behavior. More irony? Also one of the last things he did before his scandal was the show Scandal which he was fired from because of the scandal… is that ironic? I still don’t know. His last credited acting gig was working with Marvel actually, as the voice of Howard Stark in Avengers Assemble (2014), marking the close of a chapter defined by both achievement and respect… cuz it all came crashing down later that year.

His carefully crafted public persona was shattered into a million little disgusting pieces when audio from a therapy session was released. His wife, actress Faye Grant, secretly recorded the confession, and soon it was all over the media. It was a story made for TMZ, a beloved actor with a wonderful reputation who played a morally upright religious character who was constantly surrounded by children. Stephen Collins admitted to engaging in sexual conduct with three female minors (a.k.a. children) – a 10-year-old relative of his first wife in 1973, an 11- 11-year-old girl in New York in 1982, and a 13-year-old girl in Los Angeles in 1994. For some reason, this perv thought he could help clear his name and explain the situation in some horribly awkward interviews, constantly apologizing and showing deep guilt, saying things like, “I did something terribly wrong that I deeply regret.” But we would not have it; his actions are unforgivable.

The actor resigned from SAG and was dropped from all of his projects, including Ted 2. In addition to 7th Heaven being pulled from syndication. I believe the show is back and available for streaming now, but the culture canceled that show quicker than you could sing their annoying theme song. But the question is, are you able to still watch 7th Heaven? Should we still be able to watch? Of course, 7th Heaven is not just him; many people worked on that program, and their “art” shouldn’t be erased and punished for the wrongdoings of some creep. There was a short film called Penance that was screening at festivals during this time, where Stephen Collins plays a child molesting priest… many called for this film to also be canceled, but they continued to screen it – citing that the themes of the film are very anti-pedophile and it needs to be seen.

But yeah, his career was over and there was no coming back – even though no charges were filled against Collins due to stupid statutes of limitations. There was nothing left for this Stephen to do but run away to Iowa. Forever out of the spotlight, he seems to spend a lot of his time focusing on transcendental meditation cuz what else is he gonna do? Collins actually got married again in 2019 to the only woman who would have him; a 7th Heaven fan from Germany who is significantly (40 years) younger than him. I honestly think that if things played out different for Collins, he could have had a career similar to that of Bryan Cranston. But he choose to break bad in real life instead. If you want more details and information on this horrible story, there is a great documentary called Hollywood Demons on HBO MAX and episode one covers all this and more. Check it out. The life and career of Stephen Collins serves as a cautionary tale about how evil can hide behind friendly faces like The Devil trying to convince the world he doesn’t exist – turning 7th Heaven into the the 9 circles of Hell.

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